The motor on my gas pressure washer gave out the other day as I was starting spring cleaning.... IT's one of those "cheap" 6 hp gas engine generic cold water pressure washers. It doesn't owe me anything - got plenty of life out of the old gal, and it's many years old....

Instead of replacing/rebuilding the gas engine (a briggs if I recall..), I wondered if I could rig it up to one of the garden tractors and use that engine to power it.

I know on some of the older mowers (Deere 110, and Gravely walk behind), pressure washers/sprayers were options that could be pto powered. Never actually seen one before, but wondered how big of a deal it would be....

Haven't taken mine apart yet to see how the pump mounts to the engine - just gonna borrow the neighbors pressure washer for now to finish up. But this may be a future project...

Anyone ever tried this?

One side of me thinks it would be good to simplify the number of engines I have to maintain - The gt runs all year, so gas doesn't go stale or gum up the carb.... Has enough power to drive most implements. And with some type of cradle, it can drive the attachment to where you need to use it!

I have a 3kw generator head that I have been kicking around about hooking up to the front of the gt for low stress power generation as well..... I could make a reverse mule gear type setup and hang the implement off the front of the tractor - then would use the electric pto clutch to control it. For the pressure washer, it wouldn't need to move - just sit and run to drive the pump.

I have a Generator made by Generac for Wheel Horse that mounts on the front of my Gt, I think it's a 3000 Watt unit and it works great. I have kicked around the same idea about a pressure washer and a air compressor the same way. i would think about a jack shaft setup to take the side thrust off the PTO and use a coupler on the pump shaft. I don't know if the pump is designed for the side thrust load.

That's a good idear, i never thought of that.
An idear for you to ponder is, the engine is shot, why don't you make good use of the block itself ? cut the PTO side of crankshaft up to the counterweights, broach the end for a keyway and cut out or unbolt (side cover type engine)the PTO side of the engine block and use as a second bearing support with the pump attached, it already has the mounting feet casted into the block, mabey a collar with a set-screw can be used to hold the chrankshaft tight against the impeller blades or a pulley with a thrust washer or so depending on how your pump mounts to the crank end.
I almost tried something like this and may someday to turn a single bearing generator into a double bearing belt-driven type using the tapoered crankshaft end and side of the engine block.

The only hitch I can think of would be if the engine/pump have a tapered shaft/socket type of connection like many 1 bearing gensets have.

Don't forget about the bolt holding the rotor to the Crankshaft, the crank ends are tapor and tapped, that's how you remove the rotor from the crankshaft, by loosing the long (sometimes 20 inch long) bolt that screws into the crank end.With a collar to keep the crank end tight to the ''second bearing'' it will be likened to a 2 bearing type.Some pumps are slips ontp a cog gear end that is set screwed to the crank end, thoses types would be easier.

The PW pumps I've got are a female bore and the crankshaft drives them direct.You'd have to get a piece of shaft with a keyway to drive it but then you could definitely run it off a pto.I had a Hotsy that the pump was a male shaft and belt driven but I think most aren't.

i made one out of a 3200 psi @ 4gpm pump but i bet it will make more and i ran it of the front pto on my bolens 1254 it worked pretty good but the angle iorn frame would bend ALOT so my plan is to make it mount under the tractor off the mower deck mounts also the pump was running backwards
cheers
8tyman8